Federal Maritime Commission escalates monitoring of global shipping alliances

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has issued letters to the three global carrier alliances requiring that certain carrier-specific trade data currently filed with the Commission quarterly, must now be submitted on a monthly basis.

Shippers have recently complained about the lack of export container availability and considerably high freight rates on trans-Pacific trades, while the FMC has already begun investigating alliance practices in the ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles, New York and New Jersey.

FMC Chairman Michael Khouri stated: “If we detect any indication of carrier behaviour that may violate the Shipping Act’s section 6(g) competition standard, we will immediately seek to address these concerns with direct carrier discussions.